Emma Mountebank sat on the edge of the dock, her legs dangling over the edge as the gentle waves of the lake lapped against the wooden beams below. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the water, and the summer air carried the faint sounds of the woods around her. Normally, this was her favorite time of day—the golden hour where everything seemed peaceful and perfect—but tonight, it felt like everything was falling apart.
The lyrics from Taylor Swift's "tolerate it" ran through her mind, echoing the deep, unsettling feeling she'd been carrying for weeks: "I wait by the door like I'm just a kid, use my best colors for your portrait..." Emma had always known how to command attention, how to be the center of everything, but with Jacob Custos, things had always felt different. He was sweet and well-meaning, but there was something between them that wasn't clicking anymore. And now, sitting here, Emma wondered if Jacob felt the same.
She heard footsteps behind her, slow and hesitant, and she knew it was him before he even spoke.
"Emma?" Jacob's voice broke through the stillness, and Emma didn't turn around. She kept her gaze on the water, trying to collect herself. They had been avoiding this conversation all summer, but she knew they couldn't avoid it forever.
"Hey," Emma said, her voice soft, though it lacked the usual playfulness she always used with him. "You made it."
Jacob stepped closer, his sneakers scuffing against the wooden dock as he came to sit beside her. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the silence hanging between them like an unspoken truth. Emma could feel the tension, thick and unmovable, weighing down the air around them.
"I've been looking for you," Jacob finally said, glancing at her with a small, nervous smile. "I thought maybe we could talk."
Emma sighed, her fingers trailing over the edge of the dock. She had known this was coming—Jacob, always trying to make things right, always so hopeful. But the problem was, Emma wasn't sure if she wanted to make things right. Not anymore.
"Yeah," she replied, her voice distant. "We should probably talk."
Jacob looked out at the lake, his hands fidgeting in his lap. "Emma, I feel like... I don't know. Like we've been off lately. Like something's wrong."
Emma swallowed hard, biting the inside of her cheek. Something's wrong didn't even begin to cover it. She had spent the entire summer trying to figure out why she felt so disconnected from him, why every moment they spent together felt more forced, more distant. She had tried—tried to be the girlfriend Jacob needed, tried to show him the affection he wanted—but it always felt like she was giving more than she could handle. And he? He was sweet, always doting, always so eager to please, but something about that just made Emma feel more trapped.
"You're right," Emma said, her voice low. "We've been off."
Jacob's expression shifted, a flash of hurt crossing his face. "So, what's going on? Is it... is it something I did?"
Emma shook her head quickly, feeling the guilt gnawing at her insides. "No, Jacob. It's not that. You haven't done anything wrong. It's me."
Jacob frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. "You? What do you mean?"
Emma turned to look at him, finally meeting his eyes. "I don't know if this is working anymore. Us. I don't know if we're... right for each other."
The words hung in the air, heavy and painful, and Emma saw the way Jacob's face fell, his shoulders slumping slightly.
"You don't mean that," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You can't mean that, Emma. We've been through so much together."
"I know," Emma replied, her heart aching. "But that doesn't mean it's enough. I care about you, Jacob. I do. But I feel like... like I'm always trying to be something I'm not. Like I'm pretending to be the perfect girlfriend, and I can't do it anymore."
Jacob stared at her, his eyes wide and wounded. "You don't have to be perfect. I never wanted you to be perfect."
Emma let out a frustrated sigh, running her hands through her hair. "But that's the thing, Jacob. I feel like you do. I feel like you put me up on this pedestal, like you have this idea of me that I can't live up to. And no matter how hard I try, it's never enough."
Jacob shook his head, his voice trembling. "That's not true. Emma, I love you. I don't care if you're not perfect. I love you just the way you are."
Emma's heart clenched at his words, but they only made the ache inside her worse. She knew he meant it—Jacob had always been genuine, always so sincere. But his love felt suffocating, like a weight she couldn't carry.
"You say that," Emma said quietly, her voice breaking, "but it doesn't feel like it. It feels like you're tolerating me. Like you're waiting for me to become this version of myself that I'll never be."
Jacob's eyes filled with tears, and he reached out to take her hand, but Emma pulled away, standing up from the dock and pacing a few steps. She needed space, needed to breathe.
"Emma, please," Jacob pleaded, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm not tolerating you. I just... I don't know what to do. I don't want to lose you."
Emma stopped, her back to him, her arms wrapped around herself as if she could hold herself together. The lyrics from "tolerate it" echoed in her mind again: "I made you my temple, my mural, my sky. Now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life." That was how she had felt with Jacob—like she was giving everything, pouring herself into their relationship, and all she was getting in return was a version of love that didn't feel real.
She turned back to face him, her voice trembling. "I don't want to hurt you, Jacob. But I can't keep doing this. I can't keep pretending that everything's okay when it's not."
Jacob stood up, his face pale, his hands shaking. "So, what are you saying? That you want to end this? Just like that?"
Emma bit her lip, tears stinging her eyes. "I don't know what I'm saying. I just know that something has to change."
Jacob's face crumpled, and for the first time, Emma saw the full weight of his heartbreak. He had always been the one to fight for them, always the one to hold on, but now, it felt like he was losing his grip, and Emma couldn't bear to see him like this.
"Please don't give up on us," Jacob whispered, his voice broken. "Please, Emma. We can figure this out. We always do."
Emma shook her head, wiping at her eyes. "Not this time, Jacob. I'm sorry."
The words hung between them, final and irreversible. The sun had dipped below the horizon now, casting the lake in darkness, and the cold began to creep into the air.
Jacob took a shaky breath, his voice barely audible. "So, this is it? We're done?"
Emma felt her heart break all over again, but she knew she couldn't keep stringing him along, couldn't keep pretending that she felt the same way he did.
"I think we need to be," she whispered.
Jacob stood there, frozen for a moment, before finally nodding, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "I guess... I guess I can't change your mind."
Emma shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "No. You can't."
Without another word, Jacob turned and walked away, his footsteps heavy on the wooden dock. Emma watched him go, her heart aching with every step he took. She wanted to call after him, to take it all back, but she knew that would only make things worse.
As she stood there, alone in the darkness, the weight of her decision pressed down on her. She had done what she needed to do, but that didn't make it any less painful.
The lyrics from "tolerate it" echoed in her mind one last time: "I sit and watch you, I notice everything you do or don't do. You're so much older and wiser, and I..." Emma had always known that she and Jacob were on different paths, but now, standing here, she realized just how far apart those paths had become.
And as the night closed in around her, she wondered if she had made the biggest mistake of her life.
